Makita LS1040 10" Compound Miter Saw

Why buy a 10-inch non-sliding miter saw when the sliders are just a few bucks more? Because for doing trim work (crown, base, shoe, door casing, etc.) the light weight (25lbs!) and small footprint is great. Makes if very easy to take from room to room, and 10" is plenty big enough for this type of work. Also, the sliding miters, no matter what their mechanism, all seem to have a bit of side-to-side play. Seems unavoidable with so many moving parts. Not an issue for framing work. But these simple miter saws, with only one pivot point, are rock solid, making for more precise cuts. Just what you need for trim work. And this Makita LS1040 is beautifully made - metal throughout, and very easy to exactly set the stops for the 0 and 45 degrees bevel. Even comes with a small drafting 45-degree square to help you set it. One thing to note- extension wings are extra. I picked up a pair direct from 1-800-4Makita. Part number is 322312-4. And you will need to pick up a couple M6x20mm screws as well.

This is my first mitre saw. I bought it to replace a fence knocked down by a snow plow. It worked well with pressure treated lumber as well as PVC. I really love this saw and plan to use it extensively to help maintain our hundred year old house. Amazon lists it as made in the USA. I did not believe that and sure enough it was made in China. That being said I did not think there was any compromise in terms of quality. This is a great, easy to use tool. An additional note: I followed the directions to change the blade and ran into a problem. The bot holding the blade assembly together was a real challenge to remove. I tried the provided socket wrench and in addition a crescent wrench, Vice-Grip pliers, a ratcheting socket wrench, all to no avail. Finally I used a rubber mallet to force the provided socket wrench to loosen the bolt. A few wacks with the hammer did it. I share this with any other buyers who might run into the same problem. Still love the saw in any event.

A very nice budget miter saw. It's fairly barebone - no sliding rails, no hyper-precise adjustments of cutting angles, no lasers, no integral stops - but really, does what it's supposed to. It's also small and lightweight enough to fit into a cramped suburban workshop - or be carried around. Contrary to the description, I don't think that this model is equipped with soft start - the saw starts with a loud bang! The motor is also deafeningly loud, which came as a surprise, given that Makita's circular saws run pretty quiet. Good hearing protection is a must. PS. Since the saw is fairly lightweight, it can jump around if not fastened down. PPS. Unlike most other Makita products, this one uses a fairly standard dust collection port.

Very handy and portable little saw. Very well made and precise cuts

I purchased this Makita LS 1040 to replace one that I had in the past, someone wanted my saw and took it. This saw is amazing! I do own a DeWalt 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw, it is big and heavy, does a great job. This saw is much smaller and lighter, I use it constantly. When you pull the trigger to start the saw you can feel the torque of the motor and you realize the saw will handle anything. The only negative item I will mention is that I wish that Makita would have made the base so that one would be able to mount this saw to a portable stand like my DeWalt saw does.

I own a hardwood flooring business and we have 4 of these saws in use and 3 Dewalt 10" and 1 Hitachi. I had the Milwaukee Magnum 10" but sold it because it was too heavy and hard to use. These Makita 10" saws have a great feel to them and are prefered by our crews. We have never had a repair problem with them except for truing the fence which gets knocked out of square after extended use as is typical with all miter saws I've used. Overall the best 10" saw out there. Note the DEWALT DW703 10" Miter saw is my second choice and is a good saw, however I did have a defective motor on a 1 week old saw.

This is a well-made, powerful yet lightweight saw, easily transported to a work site and well-suited to a small home workshop such as my own. I have other Makita power tools, and have been happy with their quality, so I was favorably inclined to the LS1040. The only shortcomings I've identified so far concern engineering and design decisions. For some reason, Makita did not set the blade to be able to cut all the way through a 1x6; there's a little remnant of about 1/8". So close; why not go all the way? (The specs give the maximum cutting length as 5-1/8" but it's actually a bit more than that.) Initially I felt this to be a major design flaw (and it's still a missed opportunity in my book), but I realized that the workaround is just to elevate your 1x6 slightly with a 1/4" shim (making sure to clamp the work for stability). The other dimensional issue is that the vertical vise doesn't close tightly enough to clamp a 1x member without an extra pice of blocking. You may want to do this anyway to avoid vise marks on your work, but it would be nice not to have to fumble with the extra piece of blocking where a vise mark was not an issue. On the whole, however, this is a solid, compact piece of equipment that, if past experience is any indication, I hope to get years of service from. PS: Contrary to the description, it does not come with a light.

I’ve had this saw for a couple of months now and so far it’s been great. I wanted a 10” miter saw for the portability. I am a carpenter by trade and do a good amount of trim work. A 10” saw like this has the ability to handle about 90-95 percent of the trim that will be installed in a typical middle class home. I know this has been observed by others already, but the saw is not quiet. The best way I’ve heard/read someone describe the way it sounds it that it “starts with a bang”. But it’s accurate, light weight, well made, and reasonably priced. I’d definitely recommend this saw to a professional or DIYer.